Irish govt throws weight behind home working
Ireland must avoid a “drift back to the office” following the pandemic, according to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
His comments came as he launched #MakingRemoteWork, the Irish government’s new campaign for home working, in Dublin on Monday.
Varadkar’s Department for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has encouraged employers in Ireland to examine their policies for remote working and suggested a checklist that covers remote working requests, hybrid “blended” options, and a review of temporary remote working trials.
The Taoiseach said that working from home would become a personal choice, but that the government didn’t want “things to drift back to the way they were.”
“It’s the government saying to employers, employees that now’s a good time to begin the conversation about what the return to work, the return to the modern workplace, is going to look like after the pandemic,” Varadkar said.
“We don’t want to go back to the old normal. We want a new normal,” he added.
While the Irish government today strongly signalled working from home is here to stay, the UK government has taken a softer approach so far.
UK ministers who have spoken out on the matter have indicated the decision will be up to people’s “personal discretion”, and the government is understood to be reviewing proposed legislation that would prevent employers from forcing staff to come into the office unless they can prove it is essential.
Amanda Cusdin, chief people officer at Sage said it was “abundantly clear” that the future of work should be a hybrid approach, where possible.
“Business leaders should not underestimate the complexities of returning to the office and the changing needs and expectations of both colleagues and customers,” she continued.
“We believe working within an adaptable structure rather than a fixed policy is best. This is an ongoing process of experimentation, which will assess what delivers the best outcomes for all.”